A lesson learnt from the Joint Programme (JP) "Enabling pastoral communities to adapt to climate change & restoring rangeland environments", funded by the MDG-Fund and implemented by FAO, UNDP and UNEP between 2009 and 2013. The JP targeted 17 pastoral villages in some of the most vulnerable parts of Ethiopia and sought to reduce the impacts of climate change where drought can lead to famine and extreme poverty, while mainstreaming gender in all of the activities. To do this, the JP designed a special project for women empowerment by creating additional sources of income. Women already organized into groups were given the support of seed money and given training to start their own businesses. The lesson demonstrates that livestock marketing cooperatives can be a good practice for changing the lives of pastoral communities, especially women who are more vulnerable to climate change impacts. It is especially applicable to pastoral communities worldwide who are similarly vulnerable to climate change.